Summary
Fifty Shades of Greyalmost starred oneSons of Anarchyactor, but I’m glad that didn’t happen. Back in 2015, the film adaptation of E. L. James’ 2011 novelFifty Shades of Greywas released, directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson.Fifty Shades of Greywas as controversial as its source material, but despite that, it was a huge box office success. The popularity ofFifty Shades of Greyled to two sequels (based on James’ sequel novels) that, unsurprisingly, weren’t well received by critics either, and the trilogy ended up becoming one of the most hated ones in recent years.
Fifty Shades of Greyfollows college graduate Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson), who meets young business magnate Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan). Anastasia and Christian start a relationship, though not as she expected, as Christian is into BDSM and has strict rules on how their relationship should be, pushing Anastasia to her limits (physically and emotionally) and making her question what she truly wants. One of the biggest criticisms ofFifty Shades of Greywas the lack of chemistry between Johnson and Dornan, but that could have been different had Christian been played by the actor who was originally cast in the role.
Is Fifty Shades Of Grey Bad? Why The Movie’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Is So Low
Fifty Shades of Grey is one of the most controversial movies of the 2010s and has a very low Rotten Tomatoes score, but does it deserve it?
Charlie Hunnam Was Cast As Christian Grey In Fifty Shades of Grey Before Jamie Dornan
Charlie Hunnam Would Have Been A Different Christian Grey
In September 2013, E. L. James announced that Johnson had been cast as Anastasia and Charlie Hunnam was set to play Christian.
The search for the actors who would play Anastasia and Christian inFifty Shades of Greybegan in 2013, and in September of that year, James announced that Johnson had been cast as Anastasia and Charlie Hunnam was set to play Christian. At the time, Hunnam was the star of the action crime drama TV seriesSons of Anarchy, which was in its sixth season when he was announced to play Christian Grey. InSons of Anarchy, Hunnam played Jax Teller, the VP of the title motorcycle club who went on to become the President of it.
Although Hunnam was not a newcomer when he joinedSons of Anarchy, the series boosted his career and opened many doors for him, leading him to star in projects like Guillermo del Toro’sPacific Rim, in 2013. However, Hunnam dropped out ofFifty Shadesof Grey and Jamie Dornan was cast instead, withHunnam citing scheduling conflicts as the reason for his departure. Given the box office potential ofFifty Shades of Grey, many questioned why Hunnam didn’t rearrange his schedule, but he had big reasons not to do it.
Hunnam had signed on to do Guillermo del Toro’sCrimson Peak, which was set to start filming around the same time asFifty Shades of Grey.
Hunnam toldV Manin 2015 (viaVanity Fair) that, in addition to filmingSons of Anarchyseason 7, he had signed on to do Guillermo del Toro’sCrimson Peak, which was set to start filming around the same time asFifty Shades of Grey.Hunnam had promised Del Toro he would star in his movie, so he leftFifty Shades of Greyin favor ofCrimson Peak.
Hunnam went on to call passing onFifty Shades of Grey“the worst professional experience of my life”, the most “emotionally destructive and difficult thing” he ever had to deal with professionally, and that developing a friendship with Taylor-Johnson was “a somewhat traumatic experience”, further proving he made an excellent decision.
Charlie Hunnam Dropping Out Of Fifty Shades of Grey Saved His Career
Charlie Hunnam Starred In Better Projects
Christian Grey andFifty Shades of Greywere going to have a not-so-positive impact on the career of whoever played the role.
While being involved inFifty Shades of Greyand dropping out of it might have been an unpleasant experience for Hunnam, it was a decision that pretty much saved his career. Christian Grey andFifty Shades of Greywere going to have a not-so-positive impact on the career of whoever played the role, and I won’t deny that Jamie Dornan did a great job with what he had – a script with laughable dialogue and an underdeveloped character who, to top it all off, was a walking red flag –, but no matter his efforts,he was going to be destroyed by critics for the quality of the story and character.
Dropping out ofFifty Shades of Greyallowed Hunnam to star inCrimson Peak, one of 2015’s most critically acclaimed movies, whileFifty Shades of Greyhad the complete opposite reception.Hunnam kept the recognition and respect he earned with his performance inSons of Anarchyand has seized the impact it had on his career since then, appearing in movies likeThe GentlemenandRebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire.
Jax wasn’t perfect nor was he a green flag, but he was a much better-written and developed character than Christian Grey.
In addition to that,seeing Hunnam as Christian Grey while still having him as Jax Teller on TV would have been too weird. Surely, Jax wasn’t perfect nor was he a green flag, but he was a much better-written and developed character than Christian Grey (you bet Jax would have made fun of Christian and everything he did and said). Had Hunnam played Christian Grey, it’s unlikely some of his best projects would have happened, includingCrimson Peak, and thus his career wouldn’t have progressed. Charlie Hunnam would have been a different Christian Grey inFifty Shades of Grey, but that was definitely not his place.
Source:Vanity Fair.
Sons of Anarchy
Sons of Anarchy is centered around the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original (SAMCRO), exploring the tensions between President Clay and Vice President Jax in the town of Charming. The narrative focuses on their differing visions for the club’s operations, blending legal and illegal enterprises.
Fifty Shades of Grey
Cast
Based on the book by E.L. James, Fifty Shades of Grey is the first film in the trilogy that follows naive literature student Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson), whose life changes upon meeting the complicated and tormented billionaire Christian Grey (Jamie Dorman). Drawn to each other, the two start a romantic relationship where Steele uncovers Grey’s secrets - and explores her own personal desires.
